Materials and methods for converting biomass to biofuel

Abstract

This disclosure provides for materials and methods for converting biomass to biofuels. The materials include a colloid mill with or without cellulase enzymes, and the methods include the use of a colloid mill and optionally cellulose enzymes to pretreat biomass for use in a biomass to biofuel production process.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of generating sugar from biomass, the method comprising,
 a) providing a biomass/water mixture, where in the biomass comprises starch, sugar, and/or cellulose components;   b) pretreating the biomass/water mixture with a high shear/milling mixing device comprising a rotor and a stator, wherein the high shear/milling mixing device has a gap setting between the rotor and stator of between 0.104 and 0.728 millimeters, thereby reducing the size of biomass particles in the biomass/water mixture and rendering a greater percentage of the biomass available compared to pretreatment of the biomass with a hammer mill alone; and   c) contacting the biomass/water mixture with enzymes, thereby converting components of the biomass to sugar.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzymes are selected from a gluconase, a cellulase, a beta-glucosidase, a xylanase, a ligninase, a peroxidase, a magnesium peroxidase, an endoglucanase and a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzymes are selected from an alpha amylase and a beta amylase. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising fermenting the sugars, thereby producing alcohol. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising separating particles from the biomass / water mixture after the contacting. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the high shear/milling mixing device is a colloid mill. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the gap between the rotor and stator is adjustable. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the gap setting can be dynamically adjusted. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the biomass is grain and the mixture comprises at least 40% bone dry solids (BDS). 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the biomass is cellulosic biomass and the mixture comprises at least 15% bone dry solids (BDS). 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the mixture comprises 21-46% bone dry solids (BDS). 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the biomass is grain, comprising corn or corn and cellulose mixtures. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the pretreating of the biomass improves the separation of corn oil from spent distillation liquid. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gap setting is 0.2-0.3 mm and the biomass comprises grains. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the biomass comprises hammer milled corn kernels. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more enzyme comprises an alpha amylase. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more enzyme comprises a cellulase. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzymes are contacted to the biomass before the pretreating of the biomass/water mixture with a high shear/milling mixing device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the enzymes comprise an alpha amylase. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the enzymes comprise a cellulase. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , after the pretreating of the biomass/water mixture with a high shear/milling mixing device, further comprising contacting the biomass with one or more additional enzyme. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said enzymes comprise alpha amylase and said one or more additional enzyme comprises a cellulase and/or gluco-amylase. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzymes are contacted to the biomass after the pretreating of the biomass/water mixture with a high shear/milling mixing device. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the enzymes comprise a cellulase. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the enzymes comprise a gluconase. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enzymes include a cellulase and the cellulase is incubated with the pre-treated biomass at a temperature of about 30° C. to about 55° C. for about 24 hours to about 72 hours.